"I water it every evening".... that's probably the trouble unless you specifically have checked right down into the soil for moisture (or lack of it), possibly with a chopstick left in place until you're more familiar with its needs. What mix is it planted in? How deep is the whole thing? Can you post a picture? Conifers generally like to dry out between waterings, then get a solid drink. Is there drainage under the ... slab? How much sun does it get and is there any natural water within a few hundred yards (larch appreciate that for natural humidity, but I would think Michigan has enough, though if your tree's soil has been too hot (current circumstances) with no relief, and possibly needs water MORE often, especially if the slab is shallow, that's another thing to explore.

I feel for you Merv. Can't help with the weeds but your property sounds quite similar to mine although much larger. The rains sure haven't helped. I gave up, waiting for March to arrive now. You'll find a soil test is pretty important. I've only done the DIY kit sold at Lowes but it gives me a general idea where I'm at. Aerating should be considered. This stuff we have in North Ga is tough for roots to gain any traction to deeper depths. After I areated 2400 sf last month I seeded and used some good quality topsoil which I hope finds it's way into the holes. From my understanding good topsoil promotes micro organism populations that eventually will loosen that hard clay. I plan to repeat the procedure next spring. I guess that's not the answer you wanted considering the cost involved. In any event, best wishes. Ellijay resident

A few additional comments about honeyberries which also have the name haskap-and I won't get into the details of the various naming conventions, although they do have to do with the fact this plant is much more well-known in northern Japan, parts of Russia and eastern Europe, etc. So with that out of the way, I disagree strongly with Jocelyn's stating that this plant requires sour soil. It is exactly the fact that it does not require soil acidity that makes it so suitable for large areas of the north. Just normal soils, it is actually adapted to a very wide range of soil acidity/alkalinity. In this way-as Camp has said-it differs greatly from blueberry culture. The very large Nova Scotia grower, BTW, mulches their fields with clam shells! Second, the fruit turns blue as it ripens, but.......be aware, much additional ripening happens after the skin has turned blue. Thus, many folks mistakenly eat what looks to be a ripe fruit, but it's still a week or two away from full ripeness. Common misunderstanding. Additionally, what Jocelyn reports about the need for a co-blooming pollinator plant is true. All the vendors I've dealt with-I've been looking at this thing for a number of years now-are very good about making suggestions of good compatible cultivars for pollination. Next, this plant flowers early. In many case, few bees are active yet (insect-pollinated) when the plants bloom, so some care may need to be taken to insure there is good habitat for things like mason bees, bumblebees, etc. Few honeybees are active when haskap blooms. Also, the plant is, well, a honeysuckle. As such, it would be entirely reasonable to expect individual plants to live and fruit for 40 years or more. In nature, the plant often shows up in wet areas. Millions of cultivated plants however show that any normally well-drained soil is just fine. And this plant is indeed native to areas in Canada as well, so when I grow mine, I feel like I'm using a plant that is almost native to where my land in northern Wisconsin is. We've just got a little pond called Lake Superior between us and the native range of honeyberry! Lastly, it has been oft reported that when the fruits of honeyberry are ripe, birds-especially American robins and grossbeaks will all but take the fruit right out of the picker's hands when harvesting! This is no exaggeration-these birds really want this stuff! So bird netting and that sort of thing end up being a necessity. My plants are young yet and I'm not even trying to get fruit out of them yet. But in just a few years, they'll be ready and I'm sure some kind of netting is going to be required. As you can see, I'm more than just a little interested in this plant, and I do believe it is going to be a star of the emerging fruits market. Taste is said to be somewhere between a blueberry and a raspberry by some. I've eaten just a couple but they weren't really ripe yet. This was while my plants were still in the pots the vendor shipped them in, sitting in my backyard. Squirrels were eating the fruits as fast as they'd develop and it was only for this reason that I sampled a couple. I've got way more info on this exciting new fruiting shrub, should anyone be interested.

I was afraid to open this post when I saw the subject line, but then I remembered that this was a family friendly site :) Just lovely! While I do not miss Ohio winters, I do miss the beautiful fall colors. Thanks for sharing the scenery and your family.